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North Cornwall promotes affordable housing

New housing developments in North Cornwall will have a minimum of 50% affordable homes.


North Cornwall Councillors have agreed that future housing developments in North Cornwall will have to include a minimum of 50% affordable homes.

Affordable housing for local people is one of the council’s top priorities, and these changes to the planning system will help deliver more affordable homes each year.

This is among a package of changes to the Supplementary Planning Guidance agreed last Tuesday which come into force in February 2008.

Following a six week public consultation in October and November, Councillors agreed the changes to how affordable housing will be delivered through the planning system.

The principal changes include:

• Increasing the percentage of affordable housing required per development from 35% to 50% throughout North Cornwall. This includes parishes with over 25% second homes where this level was already required.

• Reducing the size of developments above which affordable housing will be required from 15 homes to 5 homes in Bodmin, Bude, Camelford, Launceston and Wadebridge and to two homes everywhere else in North Cornwall.

• Increasing the income levels below which people are eligible for new affordable housing to £25,000 for a single person and £35,000 for a household, making more people eligible for affordable housing.

• Giving more priority to local people. If initially there are not enough local people who meet the criteria for a scheme, then the length of time someone has to have previously or currently lived in the area is reduced and the income limits are increased for a further period before the scheme becomes available to a wider area. This helps to ensure that schemes are first and foremost about helping the local community.

• Increasing the maximum selling prices for affordable homes on rural exception sites, where only affordable housing is permitted, to £100,000 for a two bedroom and £120,000 for a three bedroom home. This makes developing affordable housing more viable for commercial developers.

Councillor Colin Mutton, Chairman of the Planning and Development Committee, welcomed the changes:

“We were encouraged by the numbers of individuals and organisations that took part in the consultation process.

“There was a substantial debate on the percentage to be adopted and Councillors voted by 12 to 1 to increase it to 50% from the 45% originally proposed.

“We all know what a big issue affordable housing is for the people of North Cornwall and we are determined that our planning policies should make the maximum contribution to tackling the problem.”

All organisations and individuals who responded to the consultation will be receiving a copy of the New Guidance and full details can be found on the Council’s website at www.ncdc.gov.uk